The Best of the Beta Band

The Beta Band

With a total of four full-length releases (counting their Three EPs compilation), it may seem a little premature for a retrospective, but since The Beta Band disbanded at the end of 2004, it's understandable. Of course, "understandable" was never the band's specialty. Like an Earth-bound Spacemen 3, or Beck in his more out-there moments, The Beta Band lurched through a sometimes-bizarre kaleidoscope of indie rock and ambient texture, creating solid pop songs out of playful futurism. With druggy shuffles and quasi-trip-hop backgrounds, "DJ" John MacLean fashioned a rolling pastiche of samples and sounds that meshed perfectly with drummer Robin Jones' lumbering beats. Meanwhile, vocalist Stephen Mason's moaning tone and odd but cerebral lyrics (when intelligible) gave a shambling energy to songs included here like "Dry the Rain," "Dr. Baker"and "Squares" (the latter from 2001's Hot Shots II). Still, instrumental breaks like the one that finishes "Assessment,"originally released on 2004's underrated Heroes to Zeros, make it clear that lyrics and melodies are only there to give some grounding to the band's rampant yen for experimentation. The two-disc set also includes a sterling live recording that will make you hope this supposed swan song is just another idiosyncratic indulgence, and that it really isn't over for good. --Matthew Cooke

The Best of the Beta Band Album: